Wild Horse Sanctuary to celebrate 36 years with open house Saturday, Aug. 16

SHINGLETOWN &GT;&GT; Looking for some wild summertime fun in the country? Well, look no further than the Wild Horse Sanctuary's annual Open House noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16.

Open house festivities include docent-led walks to view wild mustangs and burros up close; free horse rides for children 10 and younger; face painting; crafts for the kids; barbecue; performances by musicians on the Bruce Barron Memorial Stage, headlined by award-winning singer and songwriter Terry Brown; working stock dogs demonstrations by Patti Wells and her Border Collies; plus educational programs.

Other returning favorites include demonstrations on horse shoeing, horse grooming and saddling scheduled throughout the day, plus a question and answer session with a veterinarian.

Special guest Craig Downer, wildlife ecologist and author, will be on hand selling signed copies of his book, "The Wild Horse Conspiracy."

To help raise funds to care for the sanctuary's wild horses and burros, a raffle of premium items will be held.

Topping the list of raffle items is a three-day Wild Horse Sanctuary trail ride for two and two-night stay at the Sanctuary guest cottage valued at $1,200.

To view all raffle items, visit www.WildHorseSanctuary.org, where you can also buy a book of five raffle tickets for $10. The winning raffle tickets will be drawn at the event.

"The open house gives our guests the rare opportunity to walk onto the Sanctuary and view wild mustangs in a natural setting," said Dianne Nelson, co-founder and president.

"It's also a good time to thank our Wild Horse Sanctuary friends and supporters and share our story with others who weren't aware of what we do."

For 36 years the Wild Horse Sanctuary, a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization, has been rescuing wild horses and burros and providing them a home to live out their natural lives.

In its location at 5796 Wilson Hill Road near the community of Shingletown, some 300 wild horses and burros freely roam the 5,000-acre sanctuary.